Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the country,
affecting nearly ten million Americans a year, and Marylanders
are not immune. Examples of identity theft include when a thief
uses your personal identifying information to open credit accounts
in your name or evade criminal liability. If you are a victim of
identity theft, the Consumer Protection Division of the Office
of the Attorney General has tools available to help you address
your identity theft issue. First we can give you step-by-step advice
on how to protect yourself from ID thieves using, or continuing
to use, your personal information. Second, we may be able to help
you to address some of the issues that identity theft causes, such
as dealing with credit card companies or collection agencies.

One of the
tools we can offer you is an Identity Theft Passport. The Passport
is a tool that may help you resolve financial issues
caused by identity theft, and to help prevent a wrongful arrest
if a thief uses your personal identifying information during the
commission of a crime. You may download an application by clicking
here; please fill it out completely and accurately, and follow
all instructions. It is very important that you include a copy
of a police report regarding the crime committed against you, as
well as a photocopy of your Maryland Driver's License or
other State-issued identification card. We will conduct a background
check to verify your identity and the details of the crime, so
please include any other supporting documents that you may have.
Court documents, financial account statements or your credit report
will be very helpful in speeding up the approval process. Once
we determine whether you are eligible for a passport, we will contact
you to provide you with instructions on how to activate your Passport
and answer any questions you may have.

You
may also go to the Federal Trade Commission's Website
to find additional information and help towards cleaning up your
credit and dealing with collection agencies or law enforcement.
Visit www.ftc.gov/idtheft.

We
understand that you are in a difficult situation, and will do
our best to
provide you with assistance to help you restore
your good name and your credit record. If you have questions, please
contact the Attorney General's Identity Theft Unit at (410)
576-6491 or by e-mail at idtheft@oag.state.md.us.